The Death of Accountability and the Crisis of Comfort

How we lost our fear of God and traded divine consequences for comfortable faith

Let me ask you a question that will reveal more about your soul than you're ready to admit.

Your best friend becomes the supreme ruler of the world. They make you an offer, the deal of a lifetime:

You can commit any crime. Any sin. Any atrocity of your choosing. And your punishment is just a slap on the wrist, no matter what you do.

You are promised the maximum sentence you will get is capped at exactly 11 months.

After that brief sentence, you walk free with all your spoils intact.

What would you do with such power?

Would you secure generational wealth through means normally unthinkable?

Would you eliminate those who've wronged you?

Would you seize influence through shortcuts most wouldn't dare (and are unable) to take?

Or would you walk away and say ‘no deal’?

Be honest with yourself. The contract is already drawn up. Your signature is all that's needed…

Is lifelong wealth, status and power worth going through a bit of short-term pain for?

The real question is actually this: if justice is artificially limited, where and when does your moral restraint come in?

Here's the uncomfortable truth I've sadly observed more and more: When legal consequences are minimised, moral restraint often vanishes with them. We see this take place in many countries around the world with corruption rife and no rule-of-law.

Justice, as much as we’d like to think is ingrained in human nature, sadly, it is not. It is enforced through accountability. And we're witnessing in real-time what happens when that accountability is suspended.

This isn't just asking a rhetorical question for the sake of it, nor is it intended to be a criticism of any worldview. The aim of this article is to provide a thought-provoking look at the quiet reality I’ve noticed emerging across faiths that were once beacons of moral and spiritual clarity.

Religious Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card 1: Judaism

In traditional Jewish theology, there exists a fascinating concept: the maximum time most Jewish souls spend in Gehinnom (their version of hell) is limited to just 11 months. Only the most wicked souls - a tiny minority - might face the longer punishment, which is capped at a full year.

When someone dies, Jewish custom is to recite Kaddish (the prayer to grant ease for the soul of the deceased from the torments of hell) for only 11 months, not 12 – because praying the full year would imply the deceased was among the most wicked.

As Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto wrote in his 18th-century work ‘Derech Hashem’:

"The punishment of the wicked cannot continue forever... for the majority, twelve months is the maximum."

Now, connect the dots.

Is it merely coincidental that the Israeli state – founded on religious and nationalist ideologies – has enacted what international human rights organisations and even the International Court of Justice have condemned as apartheid and ethnic cleansing?

More than 50,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023. Over 70% being women and children. Hospitals bombed. Aid workers targeted. Famine weaponised.

All while Western politicians and media provide cover through historical justifications.

I'm not suggesting Judaism inherently promotes violence.

But I am asking a question few are willing to confront:

What happens to human behaviour when you believe the maximum divine punishment for even your worst actions is just 11 months?

What moral restraints remain when eternal consequences are effectively capped?

If you believe your enemies are subhuman and you are divinely promised their land, what actions wouldn't you justify?

Nothing exemplified this more than Louis Theroux's recent documentary 'The Settlers.' Known for his affable, charming interview style, Theroux found himself confronting ultra-nationalist settlers whose blatant and sinister extremism forced him to abandon his usual gentle approach.

Even Theroux – a man who's interviewed serial killers with perfect composure – was compelled to adopt a firmer stance than his audiences have ever witnessed.

We already see there is a complete and utter lack of accountability from the world, from NATO, United Nations in punishing Israel for what is now a proven and agreed-upon genocide, so it is natural to not necessarily fear worldly consequences.

What is even more shocking is the lack of fear in being held accountable by God for their actions, particularly by a group that claims to be religious.

When both worldly and divine accountability are removed, what remains to restrain our darkest impulses?

Religious Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card 2: Christianity

Christianity has undergone perhaps the most dramatic transformation of all in recent times.

In 1741, it was said that a sermon by Jonathan Edwards called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" had congregants literally gripping their pews in terror. His vivid descriptions of eternal punishment drove many to immediate repentance.

It’s a far cry from that today.

The fire-and-brimstone sermons that once filled Western churches have been replaced with feel-good messages about personal fulfilment and unconditional acceptance. Many denominations now even frame hell as metaphorical, temporary, or non-existent.

The oft-repeated narrative that “Jesus died for your sins” - absolves mankind from any eternal punishment and provides that feel-good factor that we have an omnibenevolent Lord who loves you no matter what you do.

Modern theologian David Bentley Hart captures this shift perfectly:

"I am convinced that no truly rational person, if he or she genuinely believes in God, could doubt that all are ultimately saved."

This is the new orthodoxy. The comfortable gospel. Christianity without consequences.

But history reminds us what happens when accountability is selectively suspended.

During the Crusades, Pope Urban II offered "plenary indulgences" – complete absolution from all sins – to those who participated in the "holy wars."

With divine punishment removed, crusaders committed horrors that defy comprehension.

When they captured Jerusalem in 1099, they massacred nearly every inhabitant - Muslim, Jewish, and even Eastern Orthodox Christian.

One crusader, Raymond of Aguilers, wrote proudly:

"Wonderful things were to be seen... In the Temple of Solomon, men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins."

This is what happens when you give humans a spiritual "get-out-of-jail-free" card.

This is what humanity becomes when accountability is removed from the equation.

Is this really what we want to replicate in our modern religious discourse?

Religious Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card 3: Hinduism

This is not just limited to the Abrahamic faiths.

India's ultra-nationalist BJP party claims be the champions of Hinduism – the world's oldest religion built on principles of karma and dharma. These concepts explicitly teach that those who violate cosmic order will pay the price, either in this life or the next

Yet they appear stunningly unconcerned with any divine consequences as they systematically oppress and subjugate Muslims and Sikhs in their quest for cultural domination.

They invoke sacred texts while drafting discriminatory citizenship laws. They speak of dharma while enabling nationalist violence against minorities.

So I ask again: Do people actually believe in this religious stuff they claim that guides them?

This is symptomatic of a society that doesn’t like to struggle

What's happening isn't random. It's systematic and symptomatic. And it's rewiring our brains.

Modern Western culture has embraced what sociologists call "therapeutic culture" - a worldview that prioritises personal comfort and fulfilment above all else.

Within this paradigm, concepts like judgment, punishment, and accountability feel antiquated and even harmful. They create discomfort, and in therapeutic culture, discomfort is the enemy.

This is why the byproduct of this is a plethora of ‘snowflakes’, soft emasculated and weak people who have no grit, no resilience and no work ethic.

And because we don’t like to struggle or strive, the decision-makers and powers that be change the goalposts and we lie to our increasingly deluded selves. We make everything else fit our desires, instead of submitting to the One who created everything.

The Qur’an speaks of this strange phenomenon, by saying others went astray by obeying their leaders in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah.

They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him. - Qu’ran 9:31

The result is a strange contradiction that defines our age:

We demand accountability in every sphere except the spiritual.

We want corrupt politicians held responsible. We want abusive corporations penalised. We want criminals to face justice.

Yet when it comes to our own actions before God, accountability becomes "toxic" and judgment becomes "problematic." We’re then all about “we’re on our own journey” or “you don’t know what it’s in my heart.”

This is all nonsense, to be honest.

And many of today’s religious leaders, desperate to remain relevant in a comfort-obsessed culture, have largely capitulated.

They've traded divine truth for market appeal.

Religious studies professor Alan Wolfe observed:

"The transformation of American religion isn't about theology being replaced by secularism, but about theology being replaced by therapy."

This goes perfectly with this great quote from Ibn Masud (RA) who once said:

“You are living in a time where truth controls the desires but there will come a time where the desires will control the truth. We seek refuge in Allah from such a time.”

This is so apparent to see today, and is the invisible hand reshaping our religious and ethical landscape, the tyranny of comfort and desires over truth.

Accountability and justice is central to human transformation

We all know the first Surah of the Qu’ran that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the cave, as that story is immortalised in our storytelling.

But do you know the second surah revealed?

According to most scholars it is Surah Qalam - the Pen. A central theme throughout is justice, and how there will come a day where everything will be divinely judged and rewarded and punished accordingly.

In fact, many of the early Makkan surahs focused on the akhirah, on heaven and hell and regularly referred back to one core theme: that there will be a Day of Judgment where we will be held accountable for every action.

Just as a personal trainer holds clients accountable to achieve physical transformation, divine accountability drives spiritual transformation.

The Arabic word for justice – 'adl – literally means "placing things in their rightful place" and "affording equal treatment to others." It's both corrective and equitable.

"And when you speak, be just, even if it should be to a near kinsman." [Quran 6:152]

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:

"One hour of justice outweighs sixty years of worship."

Justice is absolutely central and critical to us being a ‘centred’ and ‘balanced’ nation.

What is the long term impact if we continue down this path?

When religious discourse minimises accountability, the consequences can have a devastating impact for current and future generations.

1. Moral Hazard on a Spiritual Scale

In economics, "moral hazard" occurs when someone is protected from negative consequences, leading to increasingly risky behaviour.

When eternal accountability is downplayed, a spiritual moral hazard emerges, where individuals cherry-pick religious teachings that validate rather than challenge their lifestyle.

Religion becomes not a standard to aspire to, but a rubber stamp for whatever we already want to do. It becomes an identity thing, rather than a code of conduct for how to live your life.

2. The Clipped Wing Syndrome

Early Muslim scholars spoke of khawf (fear) and raja' (hope) as the two wings of faith.

A bird cannot fly with only one wing.

When accountability is minimised, one wing is clipped. The result is a faith unable to elevate the believer. Complacency replaces striving. "Good enough" replaces excellence.

Ibn al-Qayyim described the believer's heart as suspended between hope and fear - moving forward through the balanced tension between them.

When that tension disappears, so does movement.

3. The Justice Paradox

Perhaps most disturbing is what happens to our concept of justice itself.

If God - the ultimate arbiter of justice - no longer holds people truly accountable, why should earthly institutions? If eternal consequences are minimised, how can we justify temporal ones?

This creates a troubling inconsistency as ironically, many religious voices that minimise divine punishment are simultaneously vocal advocates for social justice in earthly matters.

But you can't have it both ways.

Either accountability matters, or it doesn't. Either consequences are real, or they're not. Choose.

Religious Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card 4: Islam???

Now here’s the difference with Islam. The concept of hellfire is certainly not capped and it is generally spoken about often in khutbahs and lectures. In fact, it’s sometimes mentioned in great detail.

For example, it is claimed in some narrations that missing a single obligatory prayer for a believer would cause him to remain in Jahannam (hell) for one huqb. One huqb lasts for 80 years of 360 days each, where each day equals 1,000 worldly years.

The Qu’ran itself describles the pleasures of paradise and the torments of hell with a lot of vivid, descriptive imagery and gory detail.

So where’s the problem?

I grew up in the 1990s, when many of the Islamic speakers were a different breed entirely.

Often they bellowed from the pulpit. They used shock and awe. They weren't afraid to make you uncomfortable, in fact, they saw discomfort as the pathway to growth.

Yes it was a bit old-school and unsophisticated. Was it intense? For sure. Was it sometimes overwhelming? Yes. But did it move people to action? Without question.

Fast forward to today, and many Islamic speakers have morphed into softly spoken, carefully inoffensive, essentially motivational speakers with occasional Arabic phrases.

Everything is framed positively. Every message is curated for comfort. Any concept that might cause psychological discomfort is often filtered or omitted.

Relevant for the modern generation, sure, and the style / delivery reflects the market desires. This is economics though, not how spirituality should be administered.

A doctor doesn’t sell or influence you to cure your illness - he’s directive and instructional. And so should the one who cures your soul sickness be.

Mufti Menk recently faced criticism for the soft, indirect way he worded a tweet that went viral. Rather than holding a perpetrator accountable, critics saw it as emblematic of the new approach: comfort over clarity, ambiguity over accountability.

We call the newer generation "snowflakes," but that misses the point. The real question is: how much truth can they handle? And more importantly, how much truth have we decided they can't handle?

In our rush to make Islam "accessible," we've made it ineffective.

In our eagerness to make it comfortable, we've rendered it powerless.

In our mission to make it appealing, we've stripped it of the very elements that made it transformative.

The reason the first pillar of Islam is the Shahadah is because we should ONLY submit to Allah and NOTHING else. Not the market, not trends, and certainly not our desires.

The way forward is in restoring Taqwa

The Islamic concept of taqwa is the antidote to our accountability crisis. Often mistranslated simply as "fear of God," it's far more comprehensive than that.

Taqwa is God-consciousness, an awareness of divine presence that includes reverence, awe, love, and yes, appropriate fear. It's living with the constant knowledge that nothing escapes Allah's notice.

Islamic scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl explains:

"Taqwa is not about cowering in fear before a vengeful deity. It's about living with the constant awareness that your actions matter eternally."

This consciousness, that our choices have eternal consequences - is precisely what's being eroded in modern religious discourse. And why having a sense of purpose is so important.

So how do we restore taqwa?

1. Reconnect with revelation in its original spirit

Return to the Quran with fresh eyes, particularly the early Makkan surahs that establish the reality of accountability.

The earliest revelations focused heavily on judgment for a reason. Surah Al-Alaq, the first revelation, quickly warns: "Does he not know that Allah sees?"

Before elaborating on legal frameworks, the Quran established the essential reality of accountability.

2. Practice muhasabah (self-reckoning) daily

The early Muslims would take account of themselves before being taken account of. Umar ibn al-Khattab advised:

"Call yourselves to account before you are called to account."

Set aside time each day to review your actions with the awareness that they are being recorded. What pleased Allah? What displeased Him? What will you change tomorrow?

3. Visualise accountability concretely

Close your eyes and imagine standing alone before Allah, your book of deeds open. Every word, every action, every intention exposed. Nothing hidden. Nothing forgotten.

How does that image make you feel? What changes would you make today if you truly lived with that awareness?

Now imagine you’ve been told you only had two years until that vision became a reality, until you would meet your Maker.

How much urgency would you show in your life? What would change from what you currently do?

4. Cultivate balanced fear

Not all fear is created equal. Imam Al-Ghazali distinguished between three types:

• Ordinary fear (based on punishment)

• Fear of separation (from the Beloved)

• Awe (of Divine Majesty)

A healthy spiritual life incorporates all three, not just the comfortable aspects.

5. Reject the false dichotomy

We're often presented with a false choice between a punitive, fear-based religion and a "loving, comfortable" one. This dichotomy is foreign to Islamic tradition, which always maintained the balance between hope and fear, mercy and justice.

You don't have to choose between an Islam that terrifies and an Islam that comforts. The authentic tradition offers both in perfect measure.

6. Choose your teachers wisely

Ask yourself: Am I only following teachers who make me feel comfortable? Or am I also exposing myself to challenging perspectives that remind me of accountability?

Remember this maxim I’ve always stood by: “If you don’t struggle now, you WILL struggle more later.”

The Prophet (saw) said: "A person follows the religion of his close friend, so let each of you look at whom he befriends."

A good friend will not by shy in telling you the harsh truth and holding you accountable from time to time.

Neither will a good mentor. Seek them out.

The harsh truth about human nature

Let's return to our opening thought experiment:

If your punishment for any crime was capped at 11 months, what did you say you you would do?

Be honest.

This question was intended to reveal something profound about human nature, that if you remove accountability, the worst aspects of human nature emerge.

It’s how Shaytan works in the shadows, to make you heedless and forget you WILL be held accountable for everything you do.

It's why the Quran began with accountability before anything else. Not rules and regulations, but the reality of our purpose.

Why the earliest revelations in Makkah focused intensely on judgment, not to terrorise people, but to awaken them to the weight of their choices.

We're witnessing in real-time what happens when accountability is suspended, where genocide is reframed as "self-defence," where the slaughter of innocents becomes "collateral damage," where religious texts are twisted to justify atrocities.

When we lose taqwa, that consciousness of divine presence and ultimate accountability, we lose our moral compass.

We become capable of justifying literally anything.

This is why restoring a balanced understanding of accountability isn't just a nice talking point, it's an urgent and genuine civilisational necessity if we want to build a brighter tomorrow.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “You will surely follow the path of those before you, step by step and inch by inch. If they entered a lizard hole, you would follow.” We said, “O Messenger of Allah, do you mean the Jews and Christians?” The Prophet said, “Who else?” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3456, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2669

Let’s not follow them in diluting our accountability and let’s dial up the taqwa, insha’allah.

The choice before us

The path forward is clear, though not easy.

We must reject the false comfort of a neutered, ‘easy’ faith that demands nothing and transforms nothing. It’s hard at times - but for good reason. We need to recognise dilution that may have happened elsewhere and not fall into the same trap.

We must reclaim the balanced truth of our traditions, embracing both divine mercy and divine justice, both love and accountability.

This doesn't mean returning to fear-mongering. It means returning to honesty and holding ourselves to the highest of standards, the kind of honesty that recognises both the beauty and the challenge of standing before our Creator.

It means speaking truth, even when uncomfortable. Hearing truth, even when difficult. Living truth, even when demanding.

And most of all, it requires us to realign with our true purpose, to worship and serve Him and Him alone.

Purpose is the ultimate accountability partner

Purpose in this context isn't just clarity. It's a weapon.

Once you know exactly why Allah created you, you gain the most powerful filter on earth. Everything not aligned with your mission becomes noise. Distractions lose their grip. Temptations weaken. Obstacles shrink.

When the world wants you to zig, you automatically zag.

Purpose transforms accountability from burden to lifeline.

Someone who is mindful and cognisant of his purpose will do

A man on a mission doesn’t endure accountability - he demands it.

Remember our opening question?

What would you do if punishment were limited to just 11 months?

The man who knows his purpose asks a different question entirely: "What could I accomplish in 11 months if I lived with complete alignment to my divine mission?"

That's the question that transforms lives.

That's the question that creates legacy.

That's the question I'm inviting you to answer.

Spend the next 11 months discovering and living your purpose with complete conviction.

Not because you fear punishment.

But because you understand what you were created to become.

At the end of those 11 months, look back and ask yourself:

Was I more constrained by accountability or liberated by it?

Did I accomplish more by fearing consequences or by embracing purpose?

Have I become more or less of who I was created to be?

The answers, I promise you will reveal something profound:

The true test isn't what you'd do if punishment were limited.

The true test is what you'll become when purpose is unlimited.

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If you’re looking for someone to help you discover and live by your divinely ordained purpose, to hold you accountable and to guide you along the way, I can help. This is exactly what I do in my mentorship program, through a proven, systemised unique methodology I’ve put together. Here’s a few things you can do:

1) Check out our free quiz and see how aligned you are with your life purpose:

2) If you’d like to improve your score or learn more you can book in a free discovery call with me or my team.

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5) Finally, if you’d like to learn more about the Know Your Purpose Program, you can see the roadmap below. Email me on faisal@kn-ow.com with the word “ACCOUNTABILITY” and I’ll send you the details of how it all works, how to get started and the pricing.